The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has urged Nigerian youths to ‘quit whining’ and that no body owe them anything. Fayemi made this known in a lecture titled ‘The Successor-Generation: Reflections on Values and Knowledge in Nation Building’ at the 2017 UNILAG Convocation Lecture in Lagos, Monday.
Fayemi who went on memory line told the graduating students of his Alma Mater that as a UNILAG graduate and a post-graduate student in the United Kingdom for him to survive he drove taxis and worked as a security guard, amongst several other menial jobs.
He said ‘the last lesson I
want to talk about is the debilitating entitlement mentality that is
commonplace among young people today. The earlier we realise that no one owes
us anything, the better for us, and the more prepared we would be to face life’s
challenges. ‘Don’t think you are entitled to a job, just because of your
parents’ influence or what they have.
Don’t think things would be all rosy
because you graduated from UNILAG with good grades. Be prepared for surprises
and disappointments because life is bound to hand you a couple. The only
guarantees you have in this life is what you do for yourself with the grace God
has bestowed on us all.’ We need to get off our high horses, quit whining and
start doing — for ourselves and for our country. If something angers you so
much, instead of whining, think hard about possible solutions and do something
about it. Doers have a way of finding each other out, and before you know it,
you are in good company with progressive minded people that exude positive
energy — comrades with whom you can challenge the status quo, fight together,
and succeed together. Some of the closest friendships I have kept to this day
are from my UNILAG days — people I can actually trust to surmount challenges
and get things done. So also, complainers have a way of finding each other out,
to indulge in very depressing rhetoric about why things can’t work and who is
at fault. From their comfort zones they criticise without offering any
solutions and always end up frustrated — run away from such people.”
Vanguard
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